Armor & Mobility

AUG 2017

Military magazines in the United States and Canada, covering Armor and Mobility, focuses on tactical vehicles, C4ISR, Special Operations Forces, latest soldier equipment, shelters, and key DoD programs

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coordination with our defense, interagency, and
commercial partners, we are working fervently
to maintain open supply chains in support
of our warfighters. I know we can meet this
challenge head on, and I remain inspired by
the entire USTRANSCOM team's dedication
and drive to make our processes, procedures,
systems, and platforms better every day.
A&M: How is USTRANSCOM working to bolster
cooperation with Joint Service and Industry?
Gen. McDew: USTRANSCOM partners with Joint
Service and industry to maximize a broad range
of military and industry capabilities to deliver
an immediate force tonight and a decisive force
when needed. I often refer to the commercial
industry as our 'fourth component' as a large
portion of our distribution is executed by our
industry partners, both in peace and in war. USTRANSCOM's senior
leaders regularly interact with interagency and industry leaders to
ensure we're aligned with current trends and technology –whether
it's drafting our problem statements in cooperation with the Defense
Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), or introducing an initiative to
harden our data which is shared on military and commercial networks,
by prioritizing innovation and collaboration to advance our logistics
capabilities. At the action-officer level, we leverage the incredible
expertise within the commercial enterprise to improve innovation
and agility across all levels of our organization. Together with our
component commands, our team partners with organizations like the
National Defense Transportation Association, which provides a forum
to address common interests and ensure the logistics enterprise
remains at the leading edge of innovative thinking on force projection.
We also participate in executive working groups, industry days, and
coordinate with the Department of Transportation on our Voluntary
Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA), Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF),
and surface trucking and rail networks. We remain keenly focused
on building, sustaining, and strengthening partnerships to bolster our
logistical capability and modality across the services and in partner
with industry. It is by, with, and through these critical relationships
that we provide a broad range of options to the President and deliver
national objectives.
A&M: Are there technologies USTRANSCOM sees as playing a key role
in your future operations specifically autonomous logistics vehicles
equipped with cybersecurity tools and how they would be integrated?
Gen. McDew: Although our joint and commercial partners remain
critical to maximizing support to the warfighter, providing the best
support possible also requires us to capitalize on opportunities to
improve our equipment and our systems. One of my priorities is
advancing our cyber domain capabilities in which technology plays a
critical role. We are examining our cyber vulnerabilities to determine
how best to protect our critical supply lines and personnel movements,
particularly in our sharing of information with our commercial partners.
Our first step in this process is to leverage existing technologies and
modernize our network by migrating our systems to the cloud-based
networks. However, the protection of our data provides the lens for
our modernization efforts, which will require innovative, practical,
and measurable solutions, and advanced technologies. Though the
future remains uncertain, we know with certainty that our ability to
provide mission assurance in a contested cyber environment will be
the difference between winning and losing on tomorrow's battlefield.
We are also looking at the ways in which autonomy can augment
our current capabilities. Our initial assessment is that autonomous
vehicles have the potential to affect the number of pilots, sailors,
and drivers we need to perform some of our most critical functions.
Industry is already developing this expertise, and one of the things
we've learned from our partners is that a robust, autonomous delivery
network requires global situational awareness. Maintaining world-wide
visibility requires data feeds, digital protections, information sharing,
communications platforms, and a myriad of other capabilities to col-
lect, transmit, and manage that information. A large quantity of useful
information already exists; it's how we harness that information and
analyze it that will facilitate accurate decision making at the speed
of war and enable our ability to capitalize on emerging technologies.
A&M: Any closing thoughts?
Gen. McDew: Despite our successes with digital networks, industry
partnership, and advances in technology, we still face many challenges
in the days, months, and year ahead. We have already seeing a shift in
focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a strategic environment
challenged by emerging threats. These trans-regional threats require
greater flexibility in our thought processes and ultimately, in our
capabilities. As a global distribution network provider, our challenge
remains delivering national objectives on any battlefield anywhere in
the world, today and tomorrow.
The ability to answer the call –wherever and whenever needed–
lies in our workforce. Make no mistake, we, along with the rest of the
Department of Defense, are competing for talent with Silicon Valley
and Fortune 500 companies. It's our charge to recruit, train, and retain
the best talent America has to offer in our military and civilian work-
force. Only by increasing our talent pool will we garner the agility to
meet the complex demands of tomorrow. Today, I see the perseverance
of USTRANSCOM through its dedicated men and women, and I can't
thank them enough for pushing this command forward. It's what we've
done for 30 years, and it's what we'll keep doing to overcome complexi-
ties posed by future demands.
Gen. McDew greets deployed members of the 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron during a recent visit to the USAFRICOM
area of responsibility. (USTRANSCOM)
LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE
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